It was a sad scene as unclaimed bodies of both adults and children were being moved to two awaiting vehicles that transported them from the Port Moresby General Hospital Mortuary to 9 mile cemetery this morning to be buried en masse. A total of 79 bodies and 48 amputated body parts were laid to rest today at the 9 mile cemetery. According to the Morgue Attendant Angus Davis, out of the 79 bodies that were buried today, 48 were adults, 31 infants/children and another 48 were amputated (cut off body parts). All 31 infants who were buried where straight from birth from the Labor Ward or from the Special Care Nursery (SCN) Unit who did not survive and were sent to the morgue. “For all infants, they are from birth, a day or a few days and a week old. These ones who spend a few days or at least a week are babies who come from the SCN unit. ” All amputated body parts are from diabetic patients, ulcer or someone who had a major accident and part of their body had to be cut off from the main operating theater and sent down to the morgue.. The duration of a body to stay at the PMGH Mortuary is only 2 months, 2 weeks. “Two months is the maximum time and 2 weeks is the grace period for their families to come and claim them.” A notice is put up and if families do not turn up to claim the bodies, they are then categorized as unclaimed bodies. “We then wait for NCDC to give us the green light to conduct a mass burial and then we do so, other than that, we just wait for NCDC’s approval.” He said, these bodies are from March 1 to July 31st of 2022. This was the second mass burial for 2022. “The delay comes from NCDC. Once they approve everything than we at PMGH go ahead with the mass burial.” “The first one was done in December, but for this one, we have seen a slight increase in the number of bodies buried today.” The main purpose of the mass burial is to create space at the PMGH mortuary. Currently they have limited space and get an average of 4-5 dead people a day and 10-15 dead people are dropped off at the morgue on a weekly basis. “With that, on a weekly basis only 6-7 families come to pick up their loved ones and give them a proper burial while 15-20 dead bodies are brought in to the morgue.” More dead people are brought in to the PMGH Mortuary and a lesser number of them are removed.